Coat construction

ABSTRACT

The present invention is directed to a coat having a shell piece, a fusible interlining, a lapel support component, and a separate chest support component. The shell piece includes body and lapel portions. The body portion has a curved upper edge for attachment to a sleeve. The fusible interlining is attached to only the body portion of the shell piece. The lapel support component is attached to only the lapel portion of the shell piece. The separate chest support component is attached to the body portion of the body piece. The lapel support component and the chest support component are formed from first and second materials having different average weights.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an improved coat construction. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to an improved supportstructure for the lapel and chest areas of a suit coat, sport coat orthe like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Coats are typically constructed using an exterior or shell layer that isattached to a number of internal supporting layers and an interiorlining. When the structure and materials forming these layers areselected, the lapel and chest areas should be designed in order toprovide firm support and also be durable over time. On the other hand,the lapel must also have a proper “roll,” and not become flat orlifeless. In addition, these features must be achieved through the useof a construction that can be manufactured in an efficient and costeffective manner.

During the design of a suit coat, the selection of the particularmaterials used to form these layers is important to the coat'sappearance and durability. However, the selection of these materials hasproven troublesome. In particular, a material that improves durabilitycan also detract from the appearance of the coat, and vice versa. Inaddition, the selection of particular materials and constructions canincrease the difficulty of manufacturing the coat, as well as the costof construction. Accordingly, various attempts have been made to designa durable coat that has a pleasing lapel appearance while also bringcapable of bring manufactured in an efficient manner.

For example, a suit coat has previously been constructed using canvaslayers to support the lapel and body portions. As disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 762,359, issued to Steinberg on Jun. 14, 1904, three canvas piecesare attached to the front panel of the coat. The first piece is attachedto the lapel, and the second and third canvas pieces are attached to thebody of the front panel. While canvas provides good support for thechest and lapel areas, this construction has certain disadvantages.First, there is an increased likelihood of puckering, i.e., thewrinkling of the coat, because of the different reactions of canvas andthe shell fabric to heat and moisture. These problems can be furtheraggravated by dry leaning the coat. Second, because canvas is arelatively heavy material, this construction can become heavier thangenerally preferred.

Another example of a previous suit coat construction is shown in U.S.Pat No. 2,121,836, issued to A. J. Steinberger on Jun. 28, 1938. Asdiscussed in the '836 patent, the facing layer includes a one-piececanvas supporting layer attached to the lapel and body portions of thecoat. A felt layer is attached over the canvas layer in the lapel areaof the coat and a thermoplastic material is attached over the canvaslayer in the chest area of the coat. While the use of canvas in thelapel and body areas of the suit coat is advantageous to the support ofthese areas, problems still exist with puckering and increased weight.

In a further example, a suit coat was previously constructed using afusible interior layer attached to the body of the suit coat, but not tothe lapel. A one-piece canvas component was attached across the lapeland chest areas with a felt layer bring attached over the canvas in thechest area. This construction implements the advantageous use of afusible material in the body area of the coat while also using canvas tosupport the lapel and chest areas. However, it has been found that theuse of the same canvas material in the lapel and cheat areas does notprovide the optimum support and appearance for these areas of the coat.In particular, if a relatively heavy canvas material is used, thesupport of the coat is optimized. But, the lapel will then appearrelatively firm. Therefore, while the use of certain canvas materials isadvantageous to the support of the coat, these materials can alsodetract from the appearance of the coat.

Therefore, a coat construction that overcomes the disadvantages of thepast is needed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly stated, the present invention is directed to a coat having aconstruction and a combination of advantages never known to existbefore. The present invention includes a shell piece, a fusibleinterlining, a lapel support component, and a separate chest supportcomponent. The shell piece includes body and lapel portions. The bodyportion has a curved upper edge for attachment to a sleeve. The fusibleinterlining is attached to only the body portion of the shell piece. Thelapel support component is formed from a material having a first averageweight and is attached to only the lapel portion of the shell piece. Theseparate chest support component is formed from a material having asecond average weight distinct from the first average weight The chestsupport component is attached to only the body portion of the shellpiece.

According to one aspect of the present invention, this improvedconstruction provides a durable coat that also has an enhanced lapelappearance.

According to another aspect of the present invention, two distinctmaterials are used to support the lapel and chest areas of the coat.Therefore, these materials can be precisely selected based on theirindividual characteristics in order to thereby optimize the durability,support and appearance of the coat.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, this improvedconstruction allows the coat to be manufactured in an advantageousmanner. More specifically, the coat of the present invention may bemanufactured using a process that is easily implemented in amanufacturing facility producing coats of other constructions.

These aspects of the invention are provided through the novel coatconstruction disclosed and claimed herein. Other advantages and benefitswill become known to the artisan through study of the followingdescription, and the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a preferred embodiment of the coat of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is as illustration of a preferred shell piece and the preferredsupporting components shown completely assembled; and

FIG. 3 is an illustration of the preferred shell piece of FIG. 2 withthe preferred supporting components shown unassembled.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention. While a suit coat 10 is depicted in the FIGURES, theteachings of the present invention are applicable to other types ofcoats such as apart coats or the like, all of which are intended to beencompassed within the term “suit coat.” In addition, the suit coat 10can come in a wide variety of sizes and styles designed to suit theneeds of the individual uses. The suit coat 10 includes sleeves 14,pockets 16, lapels 17 and a collar 18. In addition, the front panel ofthe suit coat 10 includes a shell piece 20 with the outer surface 22being shown in FIG. 1.

As best shown in FIGS. 2-3, the shell piece 20 also includes as innersurface 24 that includes two surface portions, i.e., the lapel portion26 and the body portion 28. The lapel portion 26 includes that area ofthe shell piece 20 that will be folded over to form the lapel 17. Thebody portion 28 includes the remaining inner surface area of the shellpiece 20. A curved upper edge 32 is later attached to the sleeve 14during the construction of the garment.

The shell fabric of the suit coat 10, including the shell piece 20, canbe chosen from a wide variety of materials known to those of ordinaryskill in the art. For example, materials such as wool, cotton orpolyester could be used. In addition, a wide variety of compositematerials such as synthetic wool blends may also be used.

As best seen in FIGS. 1-3, the support structure of the suit coat 10includes a lapel support piece 40, as interlining 44, a chest piece 48,a shoulder reinforcement piece 50, and a felt layer 51 The lapel supportpiece 40 is attached to the lapel portion 26 of the shell piece 20 inorder to provide support for this portion of the suit coat 10. The lapelsupport piece 40 includes a curved outer edge 52 and a curved inner edge54. The width of the lapel support piece 40 is greater than the width ofthe lapel portion 26 of the shell piece 20. In this manner, the lapel 17may be folded over without causing the lapel support piece 40 to pucker.In a preferred embodiment, the lapel support piece 40 is sewn to lapelportion 26 using a felling stitch 56. According to another embodiment,dispersed dots of resin may also be used to bond the lapel support piece40 to the lapel portion 26.

Preferably, the lapel support piece 40 is constructed from alightweight, wool-containing, canvas material. One preferred material ismanufactured by the Crown Textile Company of Talladega, Ala. under Style#730 and #747. This material has a fiber content of 40% rayon, 32% wool,18% polyester and 10% hair. In addition, this material has as overallweight of 4.3 oz./sq. yard, a warp thread count of 66 ends/inch, and afilling thread count of 46 picks/inch. The warp yarn size is 16/1 andfilling yarn size is 1/20.

The interlining 44 is attached to the body portion 28 of the shell piece20 in order to provide support for this portion of the suit coat 10. Inthe preferred embodiment, the interlining 44 is formed from a fusiblesynthetic material, e.g., a material having a surface treated with aresin that will bond to an adjacent layer through the application ofheat. The interlining 44 includes a first curved edge 60 for attachmentto a sleeve 14 and a second curved edge 62 for attachment to the inneredge 54 of the lapel support piece 40. Suitable materials are availablefrom Lainiere de Picardie, Inc. of Peronne Ceder, France, under Style#3940 or #2771, or the Kufner Textile Corporation of Munich, Germany,under Style Nos. #121 or #8131. In addition, suitable materials are alsoavailable from the RIK Textile Corporation of New York, N.Y., underStyle #3609 or from the Freudenberg Nonwovens Limited Partnership ofChelmsford, Mass. under Style #8413. As an example of the composition ofthese materials, Style #3940 has a base composition of 41% viscose, 37%polyamide and 22% polyester. The warp has a composition of 53% viscoseand 47% polyamide and the weft has a composition of 100% polyester. Thismaterial has a weight of 93 g/m² with the fusing conditions for thismaterial being at 140°150° C. for 12-15 seconds.

The purpose of the chest piece 48 is to support the chest area of thesuit coat 10. As shown in FIG. 2, the chest piece 48 is sewn to theupper portion 64 of the interlining 44. It should be recognized that thechest piece 48 could also be constructed from multiple layers ofmaterials. As used encompass multiple layers of material.

According to the preferred embodiment, the chest piece 48 is made from acanvas material having a greater average weight than the material usedto form the lapel support piece 40. As used herein, the average weightis the weight per square yard or meter. In contrast to the preferredmaterial used to construct the lapel support piece 40, the chest piece48 is preferably manufactured from a canvas material available fromLainiere de Picardie, Inc. under Canvas Style #72528. This material hasa base composition of 87% viscose and 13% polyamide, a warp compositionof 51% viscose and 49% polyamide and a weft composition of 100% viscose.In addition, this material has a weight of 215 g/m².

The shoulder reinforcement piece 50 provides further support for theshoulder area of suit coat 10 and is sewn on top of the chest piece 48.According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, the shoulderreinforcement piece 50 is made from the same material used to constructthe chest piece 48. A felt layer 51 is then sewn on top of the shoulderreinforcement piece 50. A preferred felt material is available fromLainiere de Picardie, Inc. under Felt Style #014. This material has acomposition of 90% rayon and 10% wool.

A tape 80 is then applied over the second curved edge 62 of theinterlining 44. In the preferred embodiment, an adhesive tape is fusedand then sewn to the interlining 44 and lapel support piece 40. Asuitable adhesive tape is available from Lainiere de Picardie, Inc.Alternatively, the tape could be basted and sewn to the interlining 44.

As an example, the suit coat 10 can be constructed using a wool shellfabric. The preferred material used to construct the lapel support piece40 is available from Crown Textile Company under Style #730 and #747.While a wide variety of materials may be used to construct theinterlining 44, the preferred material for use with a wool shell fabricis available from Lainiere de Picardie, Inc. under Style #2771. Inparticular, the relative “shrinkage rate” of the shell piece 20 andinterlining 44 must be minimized in order to avoid delamination of theinterlining 44. Therefore, as those of ordinary skill in the art willrecognize, the selection of a particular shell fabric often requires theuse of a particular material having a similar “shrinkage rate” to formthe interlining 44. The preferred material used to construct the chestpiece 48 and the shoulder reinforcement piece 50 is the canvas materialavailable from Lainiere de Picardie, Inc. under Canvas Style #72528. Thepreferred felt layer 51 is also available from Lainiere de Picardie,Inc. under Felt Style #014.

In addition to the improved appearance and durability of a coatconstructed in accordance with the present invention, a number ofmanufacturing advantages are provided. For example, a plantmanufacturing a coat having a traditional fusible construction, i.e., acoat having a fusible material across the entire inner surface of theshell piece together with a chest piece, may be easily modified to alsomanufacture a coat according to the present invention. Therefore, whileit can be difficult to produce coats having different constructions inthe same plant, the coat of the present invention may be easilymanufactured in a plant with at least one other coat construction.

The preferred embodiment described is illustrative and not restrictive.The scope of the invention is indicated by the claims rather than by theforegoing description. The invention may be embodied in other specificforms without departing from the spirit of the invention, e.g., theselection of materials or the exact physical structure could be modifiedas recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art. Accordingly, allchanges which come within the scope of the claims are intended to beembraced therein.

I claim:
 1. A suit coat having first and second sleeves and a collar,the suit coat comprising: a shell piece having outer and inner surfacesand including a body portion and a lapel portion, the body portionhaving a curved upper edge for attachment to the first sleeve; aninterlining attached to the shell piece at only the body portionthereof, the interlining being formed from a fusible material; a lapelsupport component attached to the shell piece at only the lapel portionthereof, the lapel support component being formed from a first canvasmaterial having a first average weight; and a chest support componentseparate from the lapel support component, the chest support componentattached to the shell piece at only the body portion thereof, and bringformed from a second canvas material having a second average weightdistinct from the first average weight.
 2. The suit coat construction ofclaim 1 wherein the second canvas material has an average weight greaterthan that of the first canvas material.
 3. The suit coat construction ofclaim 2 wherein the chest support component is attached to the shellpiece by direct attachment to the interlining.
 4. The suit coatconstruction of claim 3 further comprising a shoulder reinforcementcomponent attached between a felt layer and the chest support component.5. The suit coat construction of claim 4 wherein the chest supportcomponent comprises multiple layers.
 6. The suit coat construction ofclaim 4 wherein the lapel support component is sewn to the lapel portionof the shell piece using a felling stitch.
 7. The suit coat constructionof claim 4 wherein the interlining has a curved upper edge that extendsover and is fused onto a curved interior edge of the lapel supportcomponent.
 8. The suit coat construction of claim 7 further comprising apiece of tape attached over the curved upper edge of the interlining. 9.The suit coat construction of claim 8 wherein the tape is sewn to theinterlining and the lapel support component.
 10. A coat constructioncomprising: a shell piece having a body portion and a lapel portion, thebody portion having a curved upper edge for attachment to a sleeve; aninterlining attached to the shell piece at the body portion thereof, theinterlining being formed from a fusible material; a lapel supportcomponent attached to the shell piece at the lapel portion thereof, thelapel support component being formed from a first material; and a chestsupport component separate from the lapel support component, the chestsupport component attached to the shell piece at the body portionthereof, and formed from a second material having an average weightdifferent from that of the first material.
 11. The coat construction ofclaim 10 wherein the second material has an average weight greater thanthat of the first material.
 12. The coat construction of claim 11wherein the chest support component is attached to the shell piece bydirect attachment to the interlining.
 13. The coat construction of claim12 further comprising a shoulder reinforcement component attachedbetween a felt component and the chest support component.
 14. The coatconstruction of claim 13 wherein the shoulder reinforcement componentand the chest support component are formed from the same type ofmaterial.
 15. The coat construction of claim 14 wherein the lapelsupport component is sewn to the lapel portion of the shell piece usinga felling stitch.
 16. The coat construction of claim 15 wherein thechest support component comprises multiple layers.
 17. The coatconstruction of claim 16 further comprising a piece of tape attachedover the curved upper edge of the interlining.
 18. The coat constructionof claim 17 wherein the tape comprises an adhesive tape.
 19. A suit coathaving first and second sleeves and a collar, the suit coat comprising:a shell piece having outer and inner surfaces and including a bodyportion and a lapel portion, the body portion having a curved upper edgefor attachment to the first sleeve, the shell piece being formed fromone of a wool material, a wool blended material, a cotton material or acotton blended material; an interlining attached to the shell piece atonly the body portion thereof, the interlining being formed from afusible material; a lapel support component attached to the shell pieceat only the lapel portion thereof, the lapel support component beingformed from a first canvas material having a first average weight, thelapel support component being sewn to the lapel portion of the shellpiece using a felling stitch and fused to a curved upper edge of theinterlining; and a chest support component separate from the lapelsupport component, the chest support component attached to the shellpiece at only the body portion thereof, the chest support componentbeing formed from a second canvas material having a second averageweight greater than that of the first canvas material.
 20. The suit coatconstruction of claim 19 wherein the chest support component is attachedto the shell piece by direct attachment to the interlining.
 21. A coatconstruction comprising: a shell piece having a body portion and a lapelportion, the body portion having a curved upper edge for attachment to asleeve; an interlining attached to the shell piece at the body portionthereof, the interlining being formed from a fusible material; a lapelsupport component attached to the shell piece at the lapel portionthereof, the lapel support component being formed from a first material;and a chest support component separate from the lapel support component,the chest support component attached to the interlining, and formed froma second material having an average weight different from that of thefirst material.
 22. The coat construction of claim 21 wherein the secondmaterial has an average weight greater than that of the first material.23. The coat construction of claim 22 further comprising a feltcomponent attached to the chest support component.
 24. The coatconstruction of claim 23 further comprising a shoulder reinforcementcomponent attached between the felt component and the chest supportcomponent.
 25. The coat construction of claim 24 wherein the shoulderreinforcement component and the chest support component are formed fromthe same type of material.
 26. The coat construction of claim 25 whereinthe lapel support component is sewn to the lapel portion of the shellpiece using a felling stitch.
 27. The coat construction of claim 26wherein the chest support component comprises multiple layers.
 28. Thecoat construction of claim 27 further comprising a piece of tapeattached over the curved upper edge of the interlining.
 29. The coatconstruction of claim 28 wherein the tape comprises an adhesive tape.30. A suit coat having first and second sleeves and a collar, the suitcoat comprising: a shell piece having outer and inner surfaces andincluding a body portion and a lapel portion; an interlining attached tothe shell piece at the body portion thereof, the interlining beingformed from a fusible material; a lapel support component attached tothe shell piece at the lapel portion thereof and located primarily overthe lapel portion of the shell piece, the lapel support component beingformed from a first canvas material having a first average weight: and achest support component separate from the lapel support component, thechest support component attached to the shell piece at the body portionthereof and located primarily over the body portion of the shell piece,and the chest support component being formed from a second canvasmaterial having a second and distinct average weight.
 31. The suit coatconstruction of claim 30 wherein the second canvas material has anaverage weight greater than that of the first canvas material.
 32. Thesuit coat construction of claim 31 wherein the chest support componentcomprises multiple layers.
 33. The suit cost construction of claim 31wherein the chest support component is attached to the shell piece bydirect attachment to the interlining.
 34. The suit coat constructionclaim 33 further comprising a shoulder reinforcement component attachedbetween a felt layer and the chest support component.
 35. The suit coatconstruction claim 34 wherein the lapel support component is sewn to thelapel portion of the shell piece using a felling stitch.
 36. The suitcoat construction of claim 34 wherein the interlining has a curved upperedge that extends over and is fused onto a curved interior edge of thelapel support component.
 37. The suit coat construction of claim 36further comprising a piece of tape attached to the felt layer.
 38. Thesuit coat construction of claim 37 wherein said tape is sewn to the feltlayer.
 39. A coat construction comprising: a shell piece having a bodyportion and a lapel portion; an interlining attached to the shell pieceand located primarily over the body portion thereof, the interliningbeing formed from a fusible material: a label support component attachedto the shell piece and located primarily over the lapel portion of theshell piece, the lapel support component being formed from a firstmaterial; and a chest support component separate from the label supportcomponent, the chest support component attached to the shell piece andlocated primarily over the body portion of the shell piece, the chestsupport component formed from a second material having an average weightdifferent from that of the first material.
 40. The coat construction ofclaim 39 wherein the second material has an average weight greater thanthat of the first material.
 41. The coat construction of claim 40wherein the chest support component is attached to the shell piece bydirect attachment to the interlining.
 42. The coat construction of claim41 further comprising a shoulder reinforcement component attachedbetween a felt component and the chest support component.
 43. The coatconstruction of claim 42 wherein the felt component is sewn to the chestsupport component.
 44. The coat construction of claim 43 wherein thelapel support component is sewn to the lapel portion of the shell pieceusing a felling stitch.
 45. The coat construction of claim 44 whereinthe lapel support component includes a curved outer edge.
 46. The coatconstruction of claim 45 wherein the chest support component is largerthan the shoulder reinforcement component.
 47. The coat construction ofclaim 46 wherein the chest support component includes a substantiallystraight side edge adjacent the lapel support component.
 48. The coatconstruction of claim 47 wherein the first and second materials aredifferent types of canvas.